Despite easy access to so much information online, there are some well-known myths people still believe, even though they are easily disproven. People still cling to these annoying myths despite the evidence that they learn that disproves these common myths.
Someone asked on Reddit, What’s an annoying myth that people still cling to? Here are some of the best responses.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Don’t Raise Your Arms
“There are a ton of ridiculous myths around pregnancy,” one person wrote. “The worst one I was told was not to ever raise my arms over my head, so the baby didn’t get tangled in the umbilical cord.”
There are a lot of myths surrounding pregnancy. Some old wives’ tales have a bit of truth in them, and some don’t.
Cops Have To Tell You They Are Cops
One person wrote, “An undercover cop has to tell you they’re a cop if you ask them.” Another added, “Imagine an undercover cop investigating a crew of violent criminals, and one of them asks, ‘hey, are you a cop?’ He’s forced to reply with the truth, knowing they will surely murder him.”
Cops can LIE to you. They do not need to tell you the truth about ANYTHING.
Wait 24 Hours
“That you need to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report,” someone wrote.
According to Child Find of America, you SHOULD NOT wait 24 hours to report. “You might have heard that you need to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person, but the waiting period is a myth. In fact, taking action within the first 48 hours is crucial to bringing a missing child home.”
Alpha Theory
“The alpha theory for wolves, people still believe it even though the person who made the theory took it back. The ‘alpha’ of wolves is actually just the pack’s parents, and the pack is usually made up of their offspring,” someone wrote.
Carrots Give You Good Eyesight
“That carrots give you good eyesight,” someone wrote. Someone explained that the British Army populated this myth during WWII.
They said, “What the Germans didn’t know, and where the carrot myth originates, is that the British had perfected the cavity magnetron, which was essential to building radar sets that operated at microwave band frequencies, much higher than those used by ground and naval vessels operated by Axis powers. This allowed for very small, very powerful, and very accurate radars to be mounted on large fighter-sized aircraft. British and American fighter pilots could use their radar sets to detect German aircrew during night operations and intercept them from their flanks.”
MSG is Bad
“That MSG is bad for you,” someone wrote.
Another added, “my grandmother saw me adding MSG to a curry and the look on her face was like I was pouring rat poison into the pot. Meanwhile, she has basically shaved her diet down to only food with very high natural MSG content. Miso soup with kelp seasoned with soy sauce is her go to meal when she doesn’t want to think about it; her backup is a soup made from dried fish, tomatoes, gochujang, and kimchi.”
Hobbies Need To Make Money
bezikus via DepositPhotos.com.
“That having hobbies as an adult is only worth it if it brings in money. No, I love my meaningless and expensive hobbies, even if they don’t bring in any income,” someone wrote.
Having hobbies is so important! You can also do a lot of cheap hobbies that won’t cost you too much!
White Marble
“Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture and architecture being pure white marble,” someone wrote, “They are now. That’s because art dealers long, long ago washed the paint off.”
A lot of people did not know this! “I’m shocked. Seems obvious now that you say it,” one person wrote. I guess we never thought about it!
Polygraphs Work
“That polygraphs are accurate and irrefutable in detecting lies,” someone wrote.
“They’re basically a scare /manipulation tactic for interrogations,” someone else added.
Just World Fallacy
Krakenimages.com via DepositPhotos.com.
Not everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the world is not “just.”
“The just world fallacy,” someone wrote. “It’s responsible for a lot of victim-blaming, which re-traumatizes people who have already been traumatized. It’s the worst. Sometimes bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it. It shouldn’t be that difficult to grasp.”
“The One”
“That when you meet “the one” you just know. And that there is a “one” for every one of us,” someone wrote.
We can probably blame Hollywood and Netflix shows for that one.
Introversion Is Shyness
Someone wrote, “That introversion = shyness or social incompetence.” Someone agreed, “This! I tell people I’m an introvert, and my friends guffaw “buddy, you’re such an extrovert” Me: ‘Nah man, you ever notice how we hang out once a week? That’s cuz my social battery is drained after a few days of friend time. I loooove being alone, and that’s where I recharge. Most of the time my brain is moving a thousand miles a second, interpreting every body gesture and word that others say in response to my own words or actions.’ It’s exhausting, hahaha.”
Carnivorous Pets Can Be Vegan
“That carnivorous pets can live healthily on a vegan diet. Stop it. It’s animal abuse,” someone wrote.
Someone added, “If you want a pet that shares your vegan/vegetarian diet, just… Get an herbivorous animal. I don’t understand why anyone would malnourish a cat like that when they could have just gotten a rabbit instead.”
The Shirley Exception
“There is no Shirley making sure everyone is legitimate, and those who need it with get some kind of justice in a magical fairy bending the rules just for them,” someone wrote.
He gave a few examples, “It doesn’t matter how we treat prisoners because surely the ones there on accident are going to be protected.”
“This job won’t fire you for missing too much work because you’re REALLY sick; surely they realize that?”
“We don’t need to make strict laws about disability access because surely the legitimate cases will be taken care of.”
Videogames Cause Violence
belchonock via DepositPhotos.com.
“Videogames cause violence. There is literally no correlation,” one person wrote.
“It has been proven time and time again. People always love to bring up how violent criminals had violent video games at home. It’s such a stupid point to make. It’s like, yeah, and they probably loved Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction. Violent people are going to seek out violent entertainment. For healthy people, it’s just like every other form of entertainment. It’s really not a hard concept to grasp,” someone wrote.
Catch a Cold
“You will catch a cold from being cold,” someone wrote.
Someone wrote, “The myth that I see repeated most often is that being cold increases one’s odds of catching a cold. Well conducted experiments do not support that contention. In short, the evidence shows no relationship between being cold and catching a cold.”
Hard Work
“Hard work and loyalty gets you ahead in life,” wrote one person.
Someone added some context, “I disagree with how the original comment is phrased. Hard work can get you ahead in life — by how much? Depends on the circumstances. But hard work does not guarantee anything at all. Also, what is work? Career (bleck)? Hobbies? Improving mental health, physical health?
The Dark Ages
“That the middle ages were “dark” and people swam on {stuff} and bathed only two times a year,” someone wrote.
Someone added, “Eh in a lot city states throughout Europe, they had public baths and community pools which were open every day, much like in Ancient Rome.”
Blood Is Blue
“Your blood is actually blue but only becomes red when it comes out of you,” someone wrote.
This is a widespread myth- it was even taught in schools. “I hate that I was taught this in school,” one person wrote.
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Robyn Goldfarb
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.